true love
by Dramatic lover
Summary: Judy chose Jack but that won't stop Nick
1. Chapter 1

*DING*

Judy looked up at the massive building in front of her, it's elegant pillars and fountains shining in the moonlight. Behind her, her partner closed her car door and stepped up beside her.

*DING*

"You ready?" He asked

Judy nodded and took his arm as he led her to the party. She looked up at him as the two of them made their way to the houses entrance.

"you okay?" Jack asked as he took her coat once inside.

"What makes you ask?"

*DING*

He leaned in closer to her so other animals don't hear "this is our first infiltration together since the wedding. I just wanted to make sure my wife is alright."

Judy gave jack a thankful look "look at you always the gentleman aren't you." She said taking his arm again as they made their way deeper inside.

as she continued to speak to her 'jack' rabbit husband a figure moved on the church behind them. The church's bell was going on and on and on ringing constantly. The figure didn't notice; he only had eyes for the rabbit couple making their way inside. Before the two went out of the figures line of sight however they gave each other a quite lengthy kiss on the lips.

The figures fist tightened around the neck the church boy currently in his grasp. He had come up here supposedly so get some fresh air, bad move on his part the figure was in a killing mood tonight. He gazed at the spot where the two rabbit agents had once stood and his fist tightened even further until he heard an audible SNAP. He looked down at the now dead church boy, couldn't be more than twenty oh well. He tossed the new corpse to the side and made his way to the building where Judy and Jack had disappeared in.

Judy could still hear that obnoxious church bell as she and Jack made their way down into the basement of the building, guns out. Their mission was to gather as much information as possible about this new organization and asses their threat level. Exiting the small stairway, they emerged into a regular garage space. Judy couldn't see anything that indicated a doorway into a secret base but apparently Jack did. He tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a filling cabinet, she followed. Once right beside it the two pushed it out of the way.

Instead of finding a hole in the wall as Judy had expected instead the was a dip in the ground underneath where the cabinet used to be. In that dip there was what appeared to be a safe. Jack went to work immediately and in no time the pair were climbing down the ladder into what she guessed was the criminal hideout. Once they were well down the hallway which the ladder lead to the figure stepped right up to the dip. He didn't even bother with the ladder he just jumped.

a few minutes later church bell a forgotten memory but it still played ever on above them. Judy and her husband crept along the sides of the hideout the shadows and boxes helping immensely to hide them. Once reaching a fork in their little road the two split up; Judy heading to check on how many weapons they had and Jack to check how many soldiers and funds they were getting.

The figure watched both as they split up, he watched them from one of the beams holding the ceiling up above them. out of the two he decided to follow jack instead knowing in his heart that the other would be okay. He slowly crept across each beam slowly following the Jack rabbit. Once he stopped the figure stopped as well, while Jack was busy looking through something the figure took this time to inspect the handgun he 'confiscated' from one of the guards up above.

The figure didn't know guns that well all he cared to know was if the gun was loaded or not, which this one was. Feeling a spike of hatred, he dropped from his little perch landing on the ground with a loud thump. Jack immediately spun when he heard the noise and froze and he saw the figure pointing the gun right at jack's head. He had taken the suppresser off meaning that once he pulled the trigger everyone in this room will know that they were here.

Jack looked at the gun them looked at the figures face. He recognized those eyes, his hands were already raised but with this realization he raised them higher. He also knew that he couldn't talk his way out of this, he knew that this figure hated him with the strength of a dozen rhinos. Jack turned as he heard a sound behind him, it was a guard and in a few seconds he would see them. Jack turned back toward the figure right as he pulled the trigger.

Judy flinched at the gunshot, the sound reverberating across the room. Immediately everyone was in a panic she could hear all the questions being asked as she silently ran to the meeting point she'd set up with Jack.

"What's going on?"

"what was that gunshot?"

"are we under attack?"

"Should we hide the stuff?"

these questions and more were being sounded as Judy made her way to the rendezvous point. Once there she glanced about herself searching for her husband. He wasn't there. She waited there for gods know how long while the whole chamber bustled about with an air of hostility. Pretty soon the questions were gonna start popping into Judy's mind, questions she didn't want to think about much less answer.

She brought her gun up suddenly when she heard footsteps approaching her position. She hesitated however as the footsteps were soft footsteps. She held her ground however as a figure just taller than herself duck around the corner. Jack looked as scared as a prey in ancient days realize that he was cornered by a predator.

"Oh thank god" Judy said as she rushed towards her husband and pulled him into a tight hug. "I was starting to wonder"

"well you can stop that now. I'm here." He said as they pulled apart. She was about to lean in for a quick kiss when he said "but Judy" he said with a worried look "you have to know... He's here." He didn't need to say anything else they both knew who "he" is.

"Well then if he's here then we need to get out of here before he finds us" she said starting to make her way back the way she had come.

"But Judy you don't understand" he said grabbing her shoulder. She turned and have him a curious look.

"what do you mean jack?" She asked turning back to him.

"That gun shot?" She nodded "he pulled the trigger"

"so?"

"he shot a guard"

"ooookay Jack you not making-"

"he shot the guard behind me. After we had a staring contest with each other and him pointing a gun at my head" Judy stared at Jack dumbfounded until an unknown voice spoke up nearby.

"OI" the new voice said "WHAT DO WE GOT ER?" It was a bear and he was leveling a shotgun at the pair.

In an eye blink the bear was face first on the ground, blood pooling around the axe sticking out of his head. The welder of the axe was on the other side of the room snapping the neck of a wolf who tried to howl, seeing him throw the axe. Other though also saw the axe in flight and jogged over to investigate both its destination and where it began its flight.

The figure saw this and jumped up grabbing one of the support beams and made his way to the center of the room. Seeing that some of the criminals were close to discovering Judy and Jack, seeing no other options the figure dropped into the middle of the room. Upstairs and across the street, a church organ started to play, it was a depressing song one of violence and death.

Dropping into the middle of the room the figure threw back his hood for he was now surrounded by light, no point in covering up. Underneath was a face in an almost permanent scowl he had not always been like that. As soon as he got his balance he aimed his single gun and fired at the nearest criminal.

That got everyone's attention.

The crooks nearing Jack and Judy's position suddenly went back the way they had come and soon the figure was soon surrounded by opponents. The figure slowly raised the gun to the side of his head along with a knife in his other hand. The figure stood up straight his eyes opened wide as he assessed his crowd of foes.

"Nick..." Judy whispered

Nick Wilde stood in the middle of a ring of enemy's. Gun in his right paw and knife in his other. He could see the two rabbits slowly making their way towards the exit to the surface and that made Nick smile. The crooks, unaware of this fact took the smile as a challenge and some moved in.

Nick spun sending a bullet into the nearest crook's head. He dropped without even taking two steps, he managed to take out two more foes before he was forced to switch to his knife. He ducked under the first swing while he was under the arm he rammed his knife into the arm as it passed overhead. using the momentum of the swing the pulled himself onto the back of the tiger, bringing his gun up he shot the tiger in the back of the head.

As the tiger fell Nick let go of the first knife and pulled out a second. As the tiger fully landed on the ground Nick rolled in between two thugs who tried to grab at him. As Nick came up he brought his knife and sliced a clean cut into the backside of one of the crook's foot. With the other crook he aimed and shot him in the head. As the now dead crook fell Nick took aim at the first one, the one who's foot he had sliced and shot him in the head as well.

He couldn't keep this type of combat up for long but thankfully the crook he had shit first dropped a submachine gun. Nick leaped for it rolling, coming up he jumped up and kicked a hyena in the face with both his feet. The kick launched him backwards, landing he took aim and pulled the trigger.

In less than six seconds most of the criminals were down. With the ones that survived Nick quickly threw a knife into each head. At his feet blood and organs pooled around him and he stared at his handy work. He looked up and saw Jack and Judy heading down the hallway, Nick knew that when he looked up Judy looked away as soon as she noticed.

"I hope you still have feelings for me Judy." Nick whispered to no one in particular. "Because I still have feelings for you, God dam me but I do"

Nick loved her. He truly did, he loved her so much that he had given up literally everything to be with her and what did she do? Join the secret service a couple years after he joined the ZPD. Not only that but she did it to mainly be with that Jack savage.

Jack savage.

His name made nicks own blood boil. He never really hated anyone in his life oh sure he had disagreed with some people and others he didn't like being around but Jack? Nick HATED Jack more than anyone will ever know. When he'd looked up to the exit where Jack and Judy were making their escape, Nick was able to see just a hint of Judy's eyes. They had a question in them and Nick knew exactly which question that was.

Why didn't he shoot Jack?

Well the answer was simple. He hated Jack yes but he loved Judy more and all Nick wants now in his life is the knowledge that Judy is happy. Because even though the two of them are not together, seeing her happy makes Nick happy. For like he said he loved Judy more than anything in this world and if Jack makes Judy happy, then Nick would do everything in his power to keep him alive.


	2. Chapter 2

Finnick scowled as he drank his beer. The hour was late and he was particularly grumpy at the moment. His date had left a short while ago, apparently the bitch didn't like Finnick's "little potty mouth". Bah who the fuck needs her anyway! He glanced around the room, noting the absence of another fox.

"God dammit Nick," Finnick said to himself, "you don't know when to quit do you?" He took another sip.

A few minutes later Finnick heard the door creak open. He glanced over as he was grabbing for another beer. A dark form stood in the doorway, he was dripping some kind of liquid. As the figure stepped into the room Finnick realized what the liquid that covered the figure was. It was pretty easy to distinguish the dark red liquid against the figure's brighter red fur. As the figure approached him Finnick reached over and grabbed another beer; he wasn't gonna waste a partially empty beer bottle on this guy. once the figure was in tossing distance Finnick tossed the beer bottle at him, he caught it and as he sat down he flipped back his hood.

Nick Wilde looked like he was just betrayed by the one he loved, which is probably what happened.

Nick didn't waste any time in opening his bottle. In fact, instead of reaching for the bottle opener that was right in front of him, he put the bottle in his mouth and tore the cap off with his teeth. The bottle, now cap less, went to the bigger fox's mouth downing a good quarter in a couple gulps. Finnick raised an eye brow, taking the bottle opener and opening his bottle. As well as taking in the sight of his friend covered in blood. Nick taking a break from drowning in alcohol plopped the bottle onto the counter and gulped air. Fin looked over at him and broke the silence.

"You get your girl?"

Instead of answering like a normal person, Nick just tightened his grip on the beer bottle and shook his head. Finnick sighed and took another swig of his beer, lowering it he said, "I tried to warn ya man but she's a bunny and she's married. Married bunnies tend to be like foxes when it comes to mates and marriage, once they have one they tend to stick to that one for life." Fin said taking another sip.

Finnick could see Nicks fist tighten around his beer even further. "Winning her over was not the point of tonight Finnick." The small fox could hear the anger in Nick's low growl but he also could hear something else. Depression, a lack of energy; Nick was emotionally drained.

"You went for her didn't you?"

"Yes."

Finnick sighed, "Nick. You gotta let her go she's moved-" Finnick was cut off by nicks stare. It was hard enough to cut steel, murder shone in his eyes.

Nick spoke softly, it almost sounded like he was crying. "I know," as he turned back to the counter and lifted his drink he added, "doesn't mean I can't love her." He downed his beer.

"But there's no point to it though! She loves someone else Nick she married them it's time to give up and move on!"

"I can't Fin," Nick said still in a soft voice, "I couldn't stop loving her even if I tried. I'll never stop. I'd rather die than stop loving Judy."

Finnick looked at Nick dumbfounded "you're a dipshit, Nick"

"I know. but this is what happens when one is in love Fin. You do really stupid things."

Fin shot a nervous look at his friend, forgetting for a moment that he was covered in blood, "like what?"

"like maybe," Nick started but before continuing he finished his bottle, "taking on an entire room full of criminals just so they don't hurt a hair on her." Nick then got a far off look in his eyes. "I could've killed him fin," Nick said the far off look becoming stronger.

"Kill who?"

"Her husband, Jack savage."

"Well what happened?"

"He was doing something -don't know don't care. I dropped right behind him with a handgun in my paws..." He hesitated, "I could've shot him, right in the skull..."

Finnick waited for Nick to continue but he never did. "Buuuut you didn't did you?"

Nick shook his head. "No. I shot the guard behind him."

"why didn't you then? Kill him I mean."

Nick breathed in deeply. "You see Finnick, when you love someone as much as I do Judy you'll get to a point where all you want in life is to see them happy." Nick then glanced down at the table and a sad look came across his face, "and as far as I can tell Jack makes Judy happy"

"so?! Convince her otherwise!" Finnick said reaching for two more beers.

Nick looked confused as he looked at Finnick grabbing the beer. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Finnick said opening the bottle with the opener, "if you're so intent on sticking to this ONE girl then I say convince her that this Jack is a piece of shit and that she should leave him," he stated taking a sip of his beer.

Nick looked thoughtful at this.

"So what you're saying," Nick said fidgeting with his bottle, "is that if I want to be with Judy I should show her that her husband doesn't really care for her."

"yup," Finnick said this time taking a long swig of his drink.

"That would leave her emotionally shattered though," Nick said now completely ignoring the perfectly good beer and standing up, he began to pace around the room. Finnick wanted to groan as Nick started to talk to himself, he always did this when thinking on something. "Yes it would leave her emotionally shattered and drained and could potentially lead her to suicidal thoughts if I'm not quick..." He froze in the middle of the room an idea obviously forming in his head. "She'll be emotionally unstable," he repeated a small smile spreading across his lips. "Unless I'm there to comfort her. She'll fall right over me." He started to laugh. It wasn't the laugh of a completely sane person. With that Nick rushed back over grabbed the beer bottle and dashed toward the door.

"Nick!" Finnick called after him. He stopped right in front of the door his hand gripping the handle.

"What?"

"don't you like have a job? Ya know the ZPD and all?"

"I quite the ZPD Fin," Nick said softly

"why?" Finnick could see the depression come over his friend again. His ears turned back against his head, his entire body sagged, his shoulders slumped over and Finnick could hear the emotional weight in his voice when he spoke.

"It... It didn't feel right... Working there without her. So I left"

"so you're really going after her? This bunny?" Finnick said in a somewhat disappointed tone.

"I already told you fin," Nick said as he opened the door and stepped outside. Once outside he turned and looked at his friend in the eye, a determined expression on his face. When he spoke his voice was hostile, low, somewhat gravely and very determined, "I'd rather die than stop loving her," and with that he was gone.

*two years later*

Jack savage was loving his current state of affairs. He raised his arms up and locked his fingers behind his head and lay back in his chair. He was in his office in the ZIB or 'Zootopian investigation bureau'. As he sat back he began to think about the night's future events. He smiled as he did so, imagining what might exactly happen in the future.

His smile soon dissipated However when he heard his outer door open and heard a familiar feminine voice greet his secretary. Scowling he sat back down and spread some of his papers across his desk. He spread them out to make it seem like he was ears deep in paper work. As the door opened he grabbed a pen and started filling a certain piece. Once the door was fully opened and the newcomer closed it they turned to see Jack scribbling away at a piece of paper.

"hey Jackie," Jack's wife said as she made her way over to him. Her tone was obviously one of nervousness and concern. Jack pretended not to hear, not because he wanted to tease her but because he hoped that she would see that he was "busy" and would leave. The sooner she was home the nights event could begin. "Jack?" Judy asked as she stepped up to his desk, thankfully on the other side.

Jack pretended to be startled to see his wife there suddenly, "oh!" He said trying not to scowl at seeing her, "Judy! When did you get here?" he asked setting down his pen.

"I-I just came in Jackie," she said smiling softly, hopeful.

Her smile was turned upside down when she saw his scowl. "I thought I told you not to call me that," he said interlocking his fingers in front of his with his elbows on the desk. "Just Jack is fine Judy."

"hm I know," Judy said looking a little uncomfortable, "but I thought you liked our little pet names for each other"

Jack snorted at this, "yeah like two years ago. Seriously Judy I practically own the ZIB and your one of our best agents; we need to act more professionally," he said picking up his pen and pretending to pick up where he left off. "Now if you don't mind Judy I have a lot of paper that need filling out, it's gonna be another work night tonight." He said not looking up at his wife.

With Jack refusing to look at his wife he was unable to see the look of utter disappointment on her face. She didn't even bother with trying to convince him otherwise she just turned and left before he could see her face. Not that he would care.

A few minutes later with Jack still sitting in his chair he checked his computer on the security cameras on his front door and garage. What he saw pleased him; Judy was home was busying herself with tv. Jack didn't care all he cared about was that she was home and unlikely to leave the house until the next day for work. With this new knowledge he packed up all he needed in a suit case and proceeded to walk out of the building.

On his way to his destination he got a text from his future host it was from Veronica. The text said:

"Veronica: Heey Jackie! Can't wait to see you tonight I got the dinner table all set up but knowing you you'll want to go straight into the action!"

Jack decided not to text back for that would take time. Very little time but time he could be spending making his way to talk to this beautiful creature in person rather than digitally. He drove for what seemed like an eternity but eventually he pulled up to a fancy looking house in a nice neighborhood. Stepping out of his car he made his way to the houses front door, being polite and knocking he waited there on the front step moments later the door opened reveling...

Veronica

a gorgeous dark grey furred bunny, with beautiful hazel eyes that a man could drown in. Lucky for Jack he was the only man in her life and the only one shell need. She smiled as she gazed up at him through long glittering lashes, he could also see her placing something off to her left.

"Heey Jackie" she said as she reached her arms up and wrapped them behind his head pulling him into a sloppy kiss. Jack pulled away he could immediately feel that Veronica's disappointment at the sudden ending to their embrace.

"Bedroom" jack said simply moving past the door and closing it. She smiled and then gave a loud Yelp as Jack picked her up and set her on his shoulder.

She giggled "good thing I didn't start making dinner otherwise it would've gone to waste."

As Jack made his way deeper into the house before losing sight of it he glanced back at what she had placed earlier. Seeing that it was just a magnum he turned back around and made his way towards Veronica's bedroom. The story behind him and Veronica is somewhat of a complicated story. They first met when Jack was on a solo mission, Judy had been sick at the time, and veronica had been jacks target but instead of killing the enemy agent Jack had thought at the time that it would be better to gather more information on the enemy agency. What happened was not something he had expected.

He had come to love her and one day he had told her who he was. What he didn't expect was that she had known the whole time and upon hearing him confess who he was she confessed who she was which of course Jack already knew. So with both of them knowing who the other is Veronica offered Jack a position at her agency. Which jack had happily agreed to and Judy hadn't crossed his mind a single time.

*hours later*

"so when are you gonna leave?" Veronica asked as they cuddled together, taking a little break.

Jack sighed, "I don't know in a month or two maybe."

"Still got the wife to deal with huh?" He nodded.

As they continued to chat and eventually get back into the action they were unaware of a dark figure who had been watching them the whole time.

*the next day*

Jack sighed as he heard his outer door open once again admitting his wife Judy Hopps. He knew what she was going to ask and unlike yesterday where he had lied to her this time he actually needed to get these papers filled out. There was something different about his wife today and Jack couldn't quite put his finger on it. He shrugged it off as his wife approached his desk.

"Hey jack," Judy said in a weak voice, "another work night?"

Jack didn't reply he simply nodded.

"Oh," Judy said, "well just so you know I was planning on having a little late night picnic in savannah central, just wanted you to know," she said turning around.

Jack looked up from his papers an idea sparking in his head.

"Maybe this would be a good opportunity to tell her," he thought as he stood.

"Judy wait," jack said standing up, "on second thought, this can wait till tomorrow" he said rounding the desk and fetching his things. He felt a sudden stab of guilt when he noticed the look of utter joy come across her face.

As he and Judy exited the building he couldn't help but wonder; was that happy face forced? Was it fake? If so why? These thoughts soon left his mind as he went back to the reason for accompanying Judy on her little picnic tonight.

Hours later he and Judy had just entered the park and we're trying to find a spot to set up their little temporary camp. As the two went deeper into the park he spotted a nice spot in a clearing nearby. He was turning towards it when Judy suddenly tugged on his arm.

"No I want it over here." Not wanting to argue with her Jack proceeded to follow her as she skipped along the trial.

He followed with growing confusion and worry when Judy lead him to another clearing one almost exactly like the one he had pointed out but there was an abandoned warehouse nearby. Jack was just entering the clearing while Judy was already at its center.

The snapping of the twig was his only warning.

Jack spun raising the basket as something large came hurtling out from the darkness. It made a loud thump as it hit the basket. The impact made Jack stumble back and something thumped to the ground. Jack stared dumbfounded at the rock that was at his feet.

Jack quickly tore his gaze away from the Rock and looked in the direction it came. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something leap for him. Jack spun again only to be tackled by a large red furred beast. Jack hit the ground hard and the impact drove the air right out of his lungs, he lost his grip on whatever he had been holding. In an instant later he felt strong hand wrap around his throat and started to squeeze. Jack brought his arms back to try and pry the attackers arms free his eyes were closed in concentration.

"Look at me," a voice said in a low gravely enraged tone, "look at me stripes." Jack did so already knowing who this figure was. Not only by the color of his fur, not only by the voice but also the nickname. There had been only one person that had ever called Jack stripes. Jack opened his eyes to a face that looked like it hasn't smiled in years, his eyes had only one emotion in them: rage. Jack looked up at his wanna be murderer Nick Wilde.

"You don't deserve her," nick hissed through clenched teeth. "She's too good for you stripes and you know this," Nick said continuing go squeeze jacks throat.

Jack tried to land a couple punches into certain soft spots into nicks side but nothing worked. He tried to kick Nick off but he pinned his legs to the ground.

"this is it," Jack thought as his vision started to go dark, "this is how I die."

The gunshot caught Jack so off guard he flinched and after a moment he sat up raising his hands to his now free thoat. Jack sucked in air as he tried to get a bearing on his surroundings, he looked in front of him to see Nick stumbling backwards both his paws clutching his middle. Jack glanced behind him to see Judy hangun in hand, a furious expression on her face. With a thankful response saved up for later Jack looked back at his attacker.

Nick had come to a complete halt and had sunken to his knees some red liquid was seeping between his fingers. Be brought one paw away and brought it up to his face, it was covered in blood. He looked over at Jack and... No not at Jack he was looking past him, at Judy.

Nicks lower jaw was trembling when he spoke. "B-b-but Judy," he coughed into his arm when he pulled away his arm was covered in blood. He glanced back up at Judy and continued, "I-I love you"

"Nick," she said passing Jack and aiming the gun at Nick once again, "that ship crashed and burned years ago," she said raising the gun and firing. This time the bullet took Nick him his right shoulder, she fired again. This time in his left shoulder, again. The finial bullet took him right him the gut.

Nick gasped coughing up blood, he tried to stand but his legs gave out. He sat there as Judy slowly approached him. once she was in his face she raised the gun one more time, pointing it straight at his head. Nick didn't flinch away, he didn't shy back he just sat there and did something he hasn't done in a long time.

He smiled, and whispered, "that's my girl."

Judy pulled the trigger.


	3. Chapter 3

Judy pulled the trigger and was met with a small click. By the time she registered the lack of a bang, Nick had reacted with surprising speed and strength. He reached up and slapped the gun out of Judy's paw, shoving her and knocking the wind from her lungs. The push forced Judy onto her rear, but she quickly sat up, only to see Nick quickly stumbling towards the nearby warehouse, clutching the worst of his wounds.

Jack quickly got to his feet and rushed over to Judy, faking his concern as he looked her over. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she coughed, still recovering from Nick's blow. Jack reached a paw down to help her up but she ignored it and stood up on her own.

"Should we go after him?" Jack ignored the question for the moment and walked over to the discarded basket and rummaged through it, eventually pulling out a handgun.

"What were you planning to do with that?" Judy asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jack shrugged. "You never know when you'll need an extra."

Judy shook her head and gestured toward the building Nick stumbled into. "C'mon," she said walking towards the building's entrance, gun at the ready, "let's end this."

They quickly reached the entrance and took up positions on either side of the door. They made eye contact and Judy nodded in affirmation. Jack went in first, gun ready, and Judy followed close behind. As expected, the warehouse was dark, putting the two diurnals at a disadvantage. Judy looked at Jack and he signaled that they should stick together. She nodded again and they made their way deeper into the warehouse.

Suddenly, Nick's voice rang throughout the building over its still functional PA system, "Why him, Judy?" His voice was low and raspy, and he coughed before continuing. "What makes him so special?"

Judy glanced around, futilely trying to pinpoint Nick's location through the loudspeakers. "He doesn't love you, y'know..." Judy scoffed, oblivious to the slight wavering of Jack's composure. "I can see that you don't believe me," Nick continued, "Can't say I'm surprised. Keeping information classified is part of the job after all, isn't it?"

Judy, visibly confused, glanced at Jack. "What's he talking about, Jack?"

Nick chuckled. "I see you haven't told her yet, Stripes. Or was that the reason you decided to bring Judy out here tonight?"

Jack's breathing heightened despite his best efforts to stay calm, and Judy picked up on it.

"Told me what, Jack?" Judy demanded.

"Why, to tell you about his mistress of course."

Jack turned to Judy and was met with a stern, demanding glare.

"Is that-Is that true, Jack?" Judy said, tripping over her own words with how fast she'd spoken. "Well?!" Her voice rose to the point to near shouting.

Jack finally found his voice. "This isn't the time or place for this."

Judy opened her mouth to retort, but Nick spoke first. "C'mon Jack, go on and tell her all about Veronica. Tell Judy how many times you've looked at that wedding ring before going to town." The two bunnies stood there in shocked silence until Nick spoke again, his voice sounding dangerously weak. "Now don't mind me, you two, I'll just-" he was cut off by a violent coughing fit. A few seconds later he continued, his voice sounding even weaker. "Don't mind me, you two, I'm not gonna last much longer here."

Jack quickly looked to Judy. "Judy, listen. We need to focus; he's trying to distract us so he'll be able to escape."

Judy was silent as she turned away from Jack. "When this is done, Jack… we're going to have a very long discussion about us." She started to walk away, not even turning to add, "I'm going to check the east side."

Jack sighed and turned the other way. 'Man,' he thought, 'what a night this is turning out to be.'

Since Judy was going to search the east side for the soon dead Nick Wilde, Jack was left with the west side of the warehouse. To his luck, he found an old map of the facility and looked it over. The map showed the control room on the west side. He picked up his pace, figuring that the sooner Nick was out of the way, the sooner he could deal with his now-failing marriage.

This place was practically ancient. Each step on the staircase leading to the control room groaned in protest to even his light weight. When he reached the top, the door was already wide open, a bloody pawprint smeared across it where Nick had pushed it open. He entered the room, wary of a trap, but at the same time relaxed. Nick sounded pretty far gone last time Jack heard him speak. He was probably either dead or unconscious at this point.

Jack spotted Nick on the floor by the microphone he'd used to rat Jack out. Judging from the stillness of Nick's body and the large pool of blood around his middle, Jack assumed he was dead. He approached the microphone to let Judy know Nick was dead in the control room, but stopped with his paw on the button when he heard shuffling behind him.

He started to turn toward the door. "Hey Judy, was just about to-" he stopped when a paw grabbed the side of his head and slammed him onto the talk button of the microphone, his gun dropping to the floor with him.

Nick kicked the weapon away as he loomed over Jack. Jack could just barely make out Nick's smug grin through his blurred vision.

"Not dead yet, Stripes!" Nick chuckled as he raised a foot to deliver the knockout blow. Jack was barely able to react in time, grabbing Nick's standing foot and yanking it as hard as he could. Nick gave a yelp of surprise as he fell backwards and hit the ground hard. Jack immediately rose and searched for his gun through unfocused eyes. He found it not to far off by the windows on the opposite wall from the door. He stumbled over to it, almost tripping over his own feet. As he reached for it, he heard growling behind him.

"Oh no you don't." Jack knew he should've jumped out of the way of Nick's oncoming charge, but he just couldn't manage it in his current state. Jack didn't fall down immediately; Nick's momentum kept going and that, along with the weight of the two mammals, smashed into the windows. They shattered on impact and the two fell right out.

They didn't fall far, but the impact was enough to knock the breath out of both of their lungs. They both laid there for a time just trying to regain their breath. Jack hastily got to his feet, his vision began to clear and he quickly turned to face Nick, who was already charging at him. Jack got into a defensive stance.

Nick swung for Jack's head, but Jack ducked under his swing and landed a solid punch to Nick's side. Just as Jack stood upright from his dodge, he felt something tug at his feet. He looked down just in time to see Nick's tail pull his feet out from under him. Jack landed hard on his back with an audible thump. Instinctively, he brought both his arms up to shield his face. Right as he did so, Nick pounced on him landing blow after blow onto his arms, aiming a blow at his sides every so often.

Nick, realizing that this plan of attack wasn't working, raised both hands and locked them together. As he did so, the shift in weight allowed Jack to swiftly pull his legs to his stomach and kick with all his might. Nick went sailing backwards several feet, directly into the side of an old piece of machinery. His head hit the machine hard and he slumped to the ground. Jack scrambled to his feet, getting ready for Nick to charge again, but he simply lay there, unmoving.

One hesitant step at a time, Jack slowly made his way over to Nick. Jack froze and brought his fists up when he saw Nick move. He expected another lunge, but Nick's movements were subdued. Once he heard Nick sniffling, Jack stiffened and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Are you crying, Wilde?"

Nick shook softly as he answered, "It's not fair." He tried to stand again, only to slump backward. "Everything had been fine, near perfect even! Judy and I were getting along great, we were catching the bad guys, our relationship had been growing! We were growing closer, she was happy, I was happy!" Nick groggily raised his head, just barely staying awake. His limbs sagged and his breathing was fast and shallow. A cut had opened above his right eye and the blood trailed down his face. "Then you came along," he said in a low growl, "You came along and ruined everything! I lost my job, my friends, my family, and worst of all," he paused for a moment, "You took the woman I love away from me!" He raised his voice to a loud shout. Nick eventually laid his head back against the old piece of machinery. When he next spoke, his voice was in a soft whisper. "What does she see in you that's not in me?"

The two were silent for a long moment. Jack relaxed slightly and lowered his hands to his sides. Finally he spoke, "I don't know, Wilde. I honestly don't know."

As Nick lay there, Jack's mind wandered. Some things didn't quite add up. Why attack Jack and Judy in the open? Why not tell Judy about the affair? Was it to catch them off guard? Why not bring it up during the fighting?

The area around them was still silent until Nick let out a more than audible groan, one hand grabbing at his side where Jack had punched him. "Jeez, Stripes," he said in strained pain, "You punch like a Pewterarm," he said that with a pained smile.

Jack ignored the statement as another question popped into his head. Before he could stop himself, he was already asking the question out loud. "You got shot," he said, looking at Nick who raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Four times. Then you managed to run in here and have a brawl with me. How the hell are you alive?"

Nick looked back at Jack and smiled at his question. "If I tell you, Stripes, it'll ruin the surprise." Nick once again attempted to laugh, but was stopped as he hacked up some blood. He spat it to the side. He looked back at Jack, still smiling.

A sound suddenly cracked the air, the sound of metal hitting the ground. A cursing female voice accompanied it after. Soon Judy came stumbling out of a pile of loose scrap. She spotted him immediately. "Jack!" she called and rushed over to him, "There you are, I haven't-" she stopped abruptly as she noticed Nick and her face adopted a blank expression. "Oh," she simply said. Jack noticed she looked almost sad. Jack chalked it up to fond memories and ignored it.

"What do you suppose we do with him?" Jack asked. In response, he heard a gun being cocked behind him.

"What do you think?" Judy asked, walking up beside him, gun held in her right hand. She glanced down at his empty paws and raised an eyebrow.

Jack pointed upward to the control room above. "Dropped it in there," then he jabbed a thumb towards Nick, who waved, "because someone tackled me through the window before I could pick it up."

Judy pursed her lips. "Good excuse." Jack rolled his eyes. "Let's get this over with." Judy walked over towards Nick with Jack following. "Any last words, Nicky?" Judy asked, looking over her gun.

Nick looked at Judy and smiled. "Yeah," he said, sounding very satisfied. "He's about to figure it out." Judy nodded and raised her gun.

Jack looked at him and cocked his head. "The hell do you mean?" That's when Judy smiled, raised her gun, and fired into Jack's thigh. He fell to the floor and screamed in agony, both his hands grabbing at his thigh.

Jack locked eyes with Judy. "You," Jack said, wincing as another wave of pain came across his body, "you shot me!"

"Yup," Judy said ecstatically, holstering her gun and placing her hands on her hips. "Sure did, ya back stabbing, cheating mutt!" She looked absolutely relieved at finally getting to do that.

Jack sat there, dumbfounded, as he watched Judy turn back around to look at Nick with a sly grin. Then, as if he had never been shot, Nick sat up and got to his feet! He started making his way over to the pair as if he had suffered not a bruise at all.

Nick walked casually over to Judy, though he did nurse the side Jack had punched. Judy, hearing Nick's approach, looked back. "You alright?" she asked, concerned.

Nick laughed fully, no wounds stopping him this time. "Like I told you, Carrots," Nick said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pushed him into his chest, "I've been paintballing before. It stings for a little bit and it's a pain in the ass to get out of fur, but that's about the extent of it," he said, his smile broadening.

"Whatever you say, Slick," Judy said softly. She'd never sounded like that when she was with Jack, even in those early days! Nonetheless, she said it no was she looked up into Nick's eyes. Slowly the faces of the two came closer and closer, until their lips met. Judy immediately grabbed Nick by the back of his neck and pulled him down, deepening the kiss.

Jack stared at this in disbelief, mouth agape. He was at a loss for words, completely shocked as he watched his wife make out with a fox!

When the two finally separated, looking into each other's eyes with hunger, Nick broke his eye contact with Judy to look at Jack. He then proceeded to laugh uproariously. "Aww, what's wrong, Stripes? Cat got your tongue?"

Judy looked over at Jack as well and giggled. "Look at his face! No shit he didn't see this coming!"

Jack still had his mouth open when next he spoke, "Wha-… When-… How?"

Judy looked back at Nick and somehow snuggled deeper into his chest. "Oh I'd say for quite some time now, Stripes," Nick answered, a hand lovingly stroking Judy's ears as they lay against her back.

SEVEN MONTHS PRIOR

Judy opened her eyes slowly. It was late at night and she laid in the bed she shared with Jack. The rabbit in question lay beside her, his back to her as she lay there. She slowly rose so that she was sitting with the help of her arms. She then looked Jack over with a critical eye. She was still a bit mad and somewhat frustrated with him from events earlier in the day, but she couldn't stay mad at him for long. Despite it all though, something was still bothering her.

So, with intentions to get through this little hiccup unscathed, she got out of bed, put on a shirt and some shorts along with a robe and made her way to the kitchen. The two story house was big enough for an entire wolf pack but it was all to Jack and Judy. With anger slowly growing inside her chest, she made it to the kitchen. When she left, she had in her hand a warm mug of milk.

She headed to the back door, opened and closed it silently, and went to her customary spot on a bench not too far away from the door. She sighed, taking a sip of her milk. It was the drink she preferred when she needed to think on something, it helped her calm her mind and focus. Her ears twitched as she heard something move on the roof behind her. The unknown thing crawled across the roof and landed on the deck with a soft thump. Judy took another sip, completely unafraid as the thing stepped up to her bench.

Most people would have at least displayed some type of reaction for a stranger walking up to them in their backyard in the middle of the night. But Judy just sat there. Finally, she looked at him and asked, "You gonna sit down or what?"

The figure blinked, looking at Judy. "S-sorry," he said and sat down. Judy huffed and went back to sipping her milk. The two sat there for a while, neither saying anything.

Eventually, the newcomer broke the silence. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked Judy. Judy gave him a sideways glance, the moonlight reflecting off his red fur.

Nick looked…tired. It was hard to tell most of the time, but Judy knew him well enough to be able to notice the dark bags under his eyes and the slight sag to his body without much effort. "What do you mean?" she asked, taking another sip.

Nick glanced over at her skeptically. "Your drink," he said simply. Judy tilted her head in confusion, "it's warm milk." She looked down at the drink and then back up at Nick and nodded. "You only drink warm milk when you're upset about something."

Judy was taken aback. She hadn't ever told anyone about her reason for drinking milk and no one had ever seemed to have figured it out. But it appeared that Nick had done it a while ago. Judy looked away. "It's nothing."

"It's still steaming." Judy looked back at him, even more confused than before. "The hotter you have it," Nick continued, "the more upset you are. Judging by the amount of time you've been out here, whatever it is definitely has you pretty steamed."

Once again, Judy was taken aback at Nick's knowledge about her. Nick seemed to know an abnormal amount about her. "I'd rather not talk about it, Nick" she said taking another sip.

Nick nodded. "Very well, then. Whenever you feel like sharing, I'll listen."

And now he was being unusually patient. Judy was starting to get tired of this. It's not that she didn't like it; it's just wasn't expecting it.

Judy took another sip of her milk. When she brought it down, she gazed up at the stars. They seemed to be gazing back at her like the thousand eyes of some nameless God. Well she wasn't going to get over her issue at this rate so… "We had a fight"

Nick turned toward her and smiled slightly, as if saying that was fast. She gave him a blank look and his smile quickly dissipated as he cleared his throat. "What kind of fight?"

Judy struggled to come up with the right words. "It was a work related argument," Judy said, drinking down the last bit of her milk. Nick patiently waited.

In short, the argument had been about a recent field agent who just returned from an assignment. The agent completed the mission, but at the cost of ten civilian lives. Jack had been arguing not to do anything, just let the agent go and not punish him in any way. Judy had been the opposite, arguing to reprimand the agent, to punish him for ending innocent lives. In the end, they couldn't decide on what to do and said that they would come back to it tomorrow.

When Nick gave his opinion on the matter, he claimed that both of them were right and wrong. Judy's face displayed even more confusion. "Nick, what do you mean? How are we both right and wrong?" Nick breathed in heavily, placing a finger on his forehead, as if trying to find the right words to say himself.

Finally, Nick spoke slowly "Like I said, both of you are right and at the same time wrong." He held up a finger to Judy's opening mouth. "The reason I say that is this: Jack is right in the sense that this agent completed the mission, but at the same time he is wrong where you're right. He should be congratulated, but at the same time punished for the killing of innocent civilians."

Judy was still somewhat confused. "Okay" she said slowly "but then how am I still wrong?"

Nick gave her an embarrassed look "I… thought by the way you said it, that this agent didn't deserve any kind of reward I guess."

Judy opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated. She looked down thinking back to remember exactly what she said. 'I guess he had a point,' Judy thought, 'I did sound like all I wanted was to punish him.' She sighed, "You're right, I did make it sound like that's all I wanted." She gazed out upon the grassy yard, "I'll talk to him about it tomorrow," she said, looking back towards Nick, "Thanks for the talk, Nick. It helped a lot."

Nick shrugged, "Hey, it's the least I can do for agreeing to talk to me some nights!" he said, finally showing off his characteristic ear wide smile. Judy couldn't help but smile as well.

Ever since that one mission where Nick had 'intervened' and killed basically every criminal in that little hideout, he had come to Judy in the dead of night. Jack had already been asleep by that point and the fox asked her for a favor.

"Would it be okay with you if we were to… like… I dunno, just talk? Like as friends?" Nick had said on that first night. Judy still didn't know why specifically she accepted the request. Her best guess was that she still liked being around Nick, and with her work and Jack's needs to see to daily, she had next to no time to spare to go somewhere to talk to Nick. So Nick came up with an easy solution; he'd just come to her. They had both agreed that every night Nick would wait outside of Judy's house, but it was up to Judy if she wanted to talk or not. That had been months ago and the two have had many talks over the months. The topics ranging from politics to just them remembering funny moments of times past.

She stood up. "See you next time," he said as he got up as well. Judy bade Nick farewell as she closed the back door. She frowned, turning her back on the door and heading towards the stairs. There was another reason that Judy was upset at Jack, but she didn't feel Nick needed to know. As she entered the room the two of them shared, she sighed quietly and began to strip. Climbing back into bed, she was struck again with that other problem that only she appeared to notice.

It had been weeks since her and Jack had messed around and it was getting to the point that Judy was starting to get more angry than frustrated. Whenever she brought up the topic, Jack just seemed to shrug it off, coming up with some kind of bullshit excuse that they both knew was a lie. The most popular one being "I'm too tired". Since when did Jack Savage get tired? Her thoughts were muffled as she soon drifted off into sleep.

The next day she brought up the idea that Nick had thought up the night before. Congratulating the agent while at the same time punishing the agent for the innocents he killed. Jack seemed to like the idea which should have brought Judy some comfort but in the end it just brought emptiness.

TWO MONTHS LATER

Judy closed the door behind her and sighed as she stepped into her home. It didn't take a psychology degree to tell that she was troubled. As she passed the stair that lead upward, she plopped her work bag next to it and made her way to the back door. She didn't think about the little chores that needed to be done around the house, she just wanted to talk to someone. She didn't even care at the moment about her work clothing as she walked outside and sat on the bench. She sat there for a while waiting for Nick to arrive. She sat there until nightfall until eventually she heard a soft thump from behind her.

"You're out here early," Nick noted as he sat down. "What? The hubby having a guys night out or something?" Nick joked but Judy didn't smile. Nick noticed this and frowned. "Hey, you alright? You seem… down."

Judy sighed. "I… well I don't know, Nick," she said as she leaned forward. "Jack's been…frustrating lately."

"How so?"

Judy hesitated to tell him. "Well, for one thing I'm starting to see less and less of him," she said, now leaning back into the bench, "For another, he's starting to stay at work later and later; nowadays I'm already asleep by the time he gets home."

Nick shrugged. "I dunno what to tell ya there, Jude. Work is work and sometimes work gets pretty crazy."

She gave him a flat stare. "Do you remember that incident? When Bellwether got broken out of jail?" Nick nodded, "Well back then we were already on desk duty and even then we didn't have the amount of paperwork that Jack says he has."

Nick looked thoughtful and he rubbed one of his fingers along his chin. "That does make it more interesting."

"He even claims it's gotten so stacked that he needs to spend the night!" Judy said in an irritated tone, "He said something like 'there wasn't enough time to finish the amount I have' so he's spending the night!".

Nick's brow furrowed in confusion. "Is this the first time he's done this?"

Judy shook her head, "No, it's the third."

"This week?!" Nick asked incredulously.

Judy shook her head with more force than last time. "No no no, third of this month." Judy said. "The first time was at the beginning of the month"

"Mmkay," Nick muttered, still rubbing his chin. "Well, Carrots, if you're certain that there's no reason for him to have all this excess paperwork then…" Nick gestured wildly in an exaggerated manner. Finally he threw up his hand. "I don't know, Judy. I just don't know," Nick said, leaning back.

Judy couldn't blame him. They sat there for a while in silence, until it was unbearable. "Sooooo," she began In an awkward voice, "Have you listened to the new gazelle album?"

Nick gave a low chuckle. "Honestly, I completely forgot that she existed. I haven't listened to one of her songs in years!" He gave another low chuckle. "Last time I remember listening to one of her songs was….." He trailed off his expression, turning one of joy to one of sadness. Judy was confused at first and opened her mouth to ask what the problem was, until she remembered.

"Oh," she said instead, her large, black-tipped ears falling to rest onto her back as she looked away. The instance Nick was referring to was Judy's wedding, her being married to Jack. "Nick I…" She gulped, not knowing how to proceed. "Nick I… I didn't…"

"Ahhhh," Nick said making a dismissing gesture, "It's all good, what happened in the past happened. No point in sulking over it in the present," he said and gave a half hearted smile. Judy could still see the sadness behind his veil of happiness. There was a short silence before Nick cleared his throat and spoke. "Anyway, back to this whole 'work night' thing. I think that he just got lazy recently and just put off doing it and now his higher ups are getting on his ass about it." He paused, his face having a look of thoughtfulness. "Or," he continued, "Maybe it's as he said. Maybe he's just really backed up. I dunno." He shrugged.

Judy thought about it and sighed. "You're probably right and-" she was cut off as her phone vibrated from inside her pocket. Nick looked over as she pulled it out.

"What did he say?" Nick asked knowing exactly who it was by the look on her face as she read.

"He just said that he's sorry again for not coming home tonight," Judy said, sighing in exasperation. "And that he'll, 'make up' for it tomorrow," she said with sarcastic air quotes. Looking back down at Jack's message, she was shocked when he looked at the time. 'Jesus,' Judy thought, "It's almost 11!" She sighed again, louder. "Sorry, Nick, but I'm gonna call it a night," she said, standing.

Nick also stood. "Whatever you say, Jude." She glared at him for the name calling but eventually turned to go inside. "Hey, Judy," he said, taking a step forward. She turned to face him, slightly concerned. Nick never used her real name unless it was something important.

"Yes?" she asked hesitantly.

"Judy, I-" he gulped, just standing there for a few seconds, then took a deep breath. "Just… just give him some time, okay? I'm sure he wants to be home just as much as you do, but…" He shrugged, "Sometimes life just doesn't want us to have certain things." She could hear the sadness in his voice as he spoke and Judy thought she'd seen tears forming in his eyes.

'I thought he hated Jack,' Judy thought, 'why is he so concerned about my relationship?' Judy was so absorbed with her own thoughts she didn't notice Nick walking away until she heard him open the side door to the backyard. She started looking after him and before he could close the door she called out, "Nick, wait!" He hesitated, looking back. She could clearly see the tears now slowly coating the fur under his eyes as he looked at her. Judy hesitated before speaking. 'Do I really want to know the answer to this?' She spoke anyway "Why… why do you care about our relationship so much? I thought you didn't like Jack?"

Nick's reply was curt. "I don't."

Judy was even more confused. "Then why are you helping me?" she shakily questioned.

"Because, Judy," he said matter of factly, "He makes you happy and all I care about anymore is seeing you happy." As his own words sank in, he was thankful for the fur on his face covering his growing blush. "See you soon," he said abruptly and hurriedly walked away. Judy smiled at this rare display of emotion from Nick and simply nodded.

Judy sighed as she stared at the now empty spot where Nick had last stood. She tried to look past the gate, to try and get another look at him, but to no avail. "Why does it feel like everyone leaves me?" Judy thought, then immediately shook her head and scolded herself, making her way back inside her house. "You just need to give Jack some more time and Nick wouldn't even consider leaving."

As she closed the door behind her, Judy thought to herself, "He still has feelings for me, even after two years?" She was still dwelling on the subject when she almost tripped over her work bag. She groaned, grabbed the bag, and headed upstairs to bed. "Like Nick said," she thought as she got into bed, "just gotta give him a little more time. It'll get better."

As time wore on, it didn't get better. The more Judy left Jack alone with his 'work', the worse and worse it got. Jack started to stay later and later at work and his work nights became more and more regular. When Jack was home, he seemed distant. It all slowly built up, making Judy more irritable as time went on.

"Fucking asshole," Judy said aloud as she slammed the car door behind her. She climbed the short steps into her house, still muttering curses under her breath. "I could care less how much work he has, he could at least try and take the night off!" She was teeming with anger and when she reached her room she quickly changed into something more comfortable. As she descended down the stairs, her muttering started up again. "One day, one fucking day, is that too much to ask?" She grew louder. "Of all the days he could stay late, it should not be today!"

Angry thoughts whirled in her head. Thoughts of how unfair Jack's schedule was, how he didn't seem to be trying to take time off for her. She slumped onto the couch and sulked. Slowly, her thoughts went to the worst outcome. What if Jack didn't love her anymore? She lost all focus on her angry thoughts.

"No one remembered," she muttered into her hands. "Not my friends, not my family, not even Jack." She raised her head from her hands as her sobbing died down. "I bet Nick won't even show up toni-" she was cut off at the sound of tapping on the back door.

Judy was worried that it was a burglar, but when she went to check, she found Nick standing on the other side of the back door, a nervous smile upon his face. She gasped and rushed to the door, opening it. Within her sorry state, she hadn't noticed that it had started to rain heavily.

"Nick! How long have you been out there?" She worriedly exclaimed, closing the door behind him and fetching a towel.

Nick's nervous grin was still on his face when he scratched the back of his head with a damp hand. "What? Outside the door? Hmm, not long." She could faintly hear Nick try and fail to lessen the puddle he was making on the floor. As she turned back to him with a number of towels she noticed with disdain that there was a large puddle around where Nick stood, quite awkwardly.

As Judy approached, she popped the question, "What's wrong, Nick?" as she handed over the towels and went to fetch more.

"W-w-well…" Nick chattered, "I've never been in your house before, Carrots…" he said, still drying himself off. As Judy came back with more towels, he cleared his throat. "Anyway, where's good ole Stripes? Is he off getting the cake or something?" He paused, looking around "Actually… where is everyone? Are you the only person here?" he asked, taking the second batch of towels.

Nick's arrival had briefly distracted her from her thoughts. "H-he's at work," she muttered angrily.

Nick's mouth hung open at the news. He almost wanted to ask if she was joking. Judy walked forward and, without warning, wrapped her arms around Nick and tried to fight back her tears. He didn't say anything, but he did return the hug.

After some time Judy eventually calmed down and when she did, she realized where she was and what she was doing. She didn't back away immediately; instead, she stood there listening to Nick's quickly beating heart. The two stayed there, damp and awkward. When Judy pulled away, she seemed hesitant to do so. She tried to ignore Nick's disappointment as they pulled apart.

"Things going that bad?" he asked hesitantly.

"Other than Fru Fru, no one has said anything to me."

"Not even CLAWHAUSER?" Nick exclaimed, dumbstruck. Judy shook her head. Nick raised a hand to his head and scratched it, confused, "Well that doesn't…." He trailed off, looking at Judy. "Well that doesn't matter. I'm here and I remembered. So if it means anything at this point," he said, reaching a hand into his jacket pocket. When he pulled it out, it was holding a small, flat square wrapped in colorful paper.

"Ahhhh, Nick," she said trying to hide her amusement, "You shouldn't have!"

He grinned his characteristic face splitting grin, "Well today's a special day, Carrots. Now shut up and open it already!"

With a grin to match Nick's, she hurriedly opened the small package. What she found wasn't anything she had expected. It was a CD, but it was the last CD she expected.

"Panic?!" she said in disbelief, "This album isn't supposed to come out for another month or two." Judy stared down at the album made by one of her favorite artists, Caravan Palace. But as a CD? Who still uses CD's?

"Inside is a physical copy, but it also has a code so you can download the album digitally when it comes out." He somehow managed to widen his grin when he added, "For free."

Judy looked up at Nick who still had his face splitting grin on. "H-how?" was all she could say.

Nick laughed at her reaction. "Don't worry, I didn't steal it. Zoé Colotis owed me a favor," he said, leaning back against the counter, smile unfaltering. He raised both his arms up and raised a cheer, "Happy birthday, Judy!"

Judy could faintly feel the tears flowing out of her eyes. Unlike earlier, these were tears of joy. Out of everyone she knew from her family to Jack not a one had even mentioned her birthday.

But Nick did. He remembered, he cared, he went out of his way to get something for her that won't be available to anyone else for months. Judy could feel a sudden warmth in her stomach. The warmth had almost always been there, it's been there ever since that one day in the police cruiser so long ago.

"You know you love me," Nick had said, and Judy could still feel the warmth from that day. But never has this feeling inside of her been so powerful as it was now. She looked up at him, his grinning face, his caring emerald eyes that seem to always have a twinkle in them. Always ready to crack a joke, even in the most dire of situations.

"Um..." Nick's smile wavered as he noticed Judy's tears. "Are... you okay? Judy?" he said with concern, reaching an arm out. When it got close, Judy grabbed it and pulled Nick towards her. She didn't think, she just acted. As Nick closed in, giving a yelp of alarm, Judy jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a warm hug.

"Thank you," was all she said.

Nick chuckled at this and wrapped his arms around her waist as well, returning the hug. They stayed like that for quite some time, time where Judy started to have some questionable thoughts. Thoughts about Nick and her and them together. Instead of banishing these thoughts, Judy let them roam free, let them develop in her mind and as she pulled back, she couldn't help herself from looking into Nick's eyes as he held her.

She was breathing long, deep breaths. It felt as if her heart would burst out of her chest it was beating so fast. Being this close to Nick, she could also feel the rate of his own heart, and she was somewhat surprised to find out it was beating just as fast as her own. Judy looked up into Nick's eyes as he held her in his powerful arms. She looked into his eyes and she thought she saw something… could that something be love? She could tell by his eyes that he desperately wanted to do something.

So, without thinking, her body moved forward. She could hear Nick's slight gasp get cut off as their mouths were suddenly connected. Nick was surprised at first but soon melted into the kiss. Doing so took Judy to another world, one where only she and Nick existed. Her thoughts drifted again and soon Jack replaced Nick within her fantasy.

"I want to see him," Judy thought as she put a hand on the back of Jack's head, brushing one of his pointed ears in the process. Pointed ears? That wasn't right, Jack was a rabbit, his ears were like hers. Slowly, Judy opened her eyes and found Nick in front of her, kissing back. Judy immediately pulled back, squealing in alarm as she tore herself away from Nick's embrace. She fell onto her back with a grunt and looked back up at Nick.

Nick was startled by Judy's outburst, one eyebrow was raised and his mouth was agape.

"I'm sorry," Judy said quickly, standing and turning Nick around. He protested, asking what she was doing. "I'm sorry, Nick," she said over him, "I'm sorry, but you need to leave." Nick continued to protest for a little while longer until they reached the back door. She stopped motioning him forward and stepped back, not looking at him.

Nick gazed out the door to the rain pouring outside. He turned around to look at Judy, but she didn't meet his gaze. He sighed, turning back around. If Judy wanted him out then so be it. He opened the door, sliding it to the side with a creak. Nick had thought that he had won her over finally with the gift and with Jack being so distant to her, but in the end she was still loyal to him. He couldn't fault her for that; she was doing what she thought was right.

Nick heard Judy sniffling behind him as he stepped out into the rain. He turned to find her crying. She opened her mouth to try and say something -another apology no doubt- but it came out as a croak. Nick wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything. He gave Judy one last glance; she still wouldn't look at him. He sighed, turning back around and finally walking away. On his way here he was annoyed that it was raining, now he was glad for it. The rain made his tears less noticeable as he walked home, head hung low.

THE NEXT DAY

Judy tried to listen to the album, but no matter what she did, whenever a song started to play, all she could think of was last night's kiss. She should've felt ashamed of it, hell she was surprised that she was able to look Jack in the eyes and not be completely wracked with guilt.

Lust. That was the best way she could describe how she felt about the whole situation. After months of Jack ignoring her and Nick giving her all kinds of attention, finding out that someone wanted her -really wanted her- just as much as she wanted them set Judy off. Judging from Nick's behavior, there was no doubt in her mind that he wanted Judy. Despite her suspicions that Nick had feelings for her, the revelation was still somewhat shocking.

At the time, Judy had been terrified that Nick developed romantic feelings towards her. She hadn't exactly known at the time and had jumped to conclusions. And if Judy was completely honest with herself, she would've admitted that she had similar feelings towards Nick.

She sighed as she leaned back in her office chair, her inner thoughts rampaging across her mind. No matter how hard she worked, no matter how much she consumed herself in something else, her mind always drifted back to last night. That night, that hour, that room, that man. That tall, strong, loving, careful, gorgeous man. She sighed again but this time in frustration. She looked down at the pile of paperwork on her desk, and after a quick train of thought decided that it can wait.

She spun her chair around so it was facing the window, which overlooked Savannah central. She leaned her head back, trying to calm her nerves as well as her thoughts. "First thing's first," she thought, "What's the problem?" Immediately her mind answered that she and Nick had kissed. That in itself didn't bother Judy, not much anyway. It was the fact that she was married that bugged her.

"What would Jack say?" she thought, listing all the problems she saw in her head. "What would the public think, what would my friends think, am I gonna burn in hell for this, what would my family say, what was…" Her mind trailed off as she found the real reason as to why she was so bothered. It was the feeling she had when she'd kissed Nick.

She had felt something similar during the early days of her relationship with Jack, back when he would actually spend time with her. But now that Judy was thinking of it, it felt… hollow to Judy, as if nothing was really there. It felt different with Nick, more complete, and it bothered her to no end. She shouldn't have been having these kind of thoughts; she should've been trying to figure out how to fix her marriage.

Judy jumped in alarm as a knock came suddenly at her door. "Come in" she said, making it look like she'd been working. The person who came in happened to be her secretary, a small male sheep named Han. "What is it, Han?" she asked, pretending to shuffle through some papers.

" ?" he stated, "Um, are you gonna spend the whole night here?"

Judy looked at her clock and sweet macadamia nuts it was almost 10:00! She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she completely lost track of time. "T-thank you, Han, I just lost track of time. You can go; don't worry I'll be right behind you."

Judy left before Han. She forced herself to focus on driving as she made her way home. It was practically her house at this point, what with Jack all but living at work nowadays. The moment she closed the door to the garage, the thoughts and feelings, which had been bottled up and building, returned full force.

She thought of the possible repercussions: what her coworkers, or Jack, or her family would say. Were predator/prey relationships even accepted? The only thing she could be certain of was the fact Nick didn't seem to pay any mind to the difference in species.

Some time passed as Judy tried to seek the answers through her thoughts. She was interrupted by a tapping sound, and she glanced about herself, but couldn't find the source. The tapping came again, louder and more forceful this time. It was loud enough to give her a good idea of where it was. She snapped her head forward again and slouched down on the couch.

The tapping came again, just a tad more forceful this time. "Judy?" a voice came from the outside. It was muffled a tad by the door. Judy refused to look at the back door where she knew Nick would be standing. "Judy, please, I just want to talk." She refused to move. "Please, it's important." She remained seated, giving no indication that she'd heard him. Finally she heard Nick sigh, it sounded reluctant. When he spoke, he sounded as if he didn't want to say the words, "It's about Jack."

She slowly got to her feet. When she turned around, Nick was still standing at the back door. He looked like he didn't want to be there for once. She got up and walked to the door, looked into Nick's eyes for a long moment, and then opened the door and asked, "What about Jack?" Nick looked away. "Don't you look away from me, Nicholas Wilde!" He sighed looking back. "What about him, Nick?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Nick sighed again, Judy was starting to get annoyed by now. "Can I come in?"

Judys gaze was stern. "No," she said curtly, "you will tell me here and now, Nick."

Nick looked more nervous by the second as he stood there. "Woooooh, goddamn how to put this…"

"Just say it already, Nick, I don't feel like seeing you tonight."

She heard him sigh again, she was really getting sick of him sighing. When Nick spoke again, he spoke fast. "Jack's cheating on you, Judy!"

Judy froze, her eyes going wide as the air escaped from her lungs. The two stood there for a long moment, neither moving nor speaking. Slowly, Judy turned around to look Nick in his eyes, but he wasn't looking at her. "You're lying," Judy said, and Nick looked at her sharply. Before he could say anything however, Judy continued, "He may have been neglecting me these past few months, but that does not mean he's cheating on me!" She said these words through clenched teeth and in a low, threatening whisper.

Nick's eyes started to give off a pitying look. "Oh, Judy," he said in the same whisper she had been using, "You have to believe me, I swear it is true! All these work nights he's been having are actually him visiting his mistress!"

Judy's eyes flared to life with rage, the feelings she had towards Nick earlier had been shoved to the side. "How dare you talk about him that way. How dare you, Nick." She spun, putting her back to him again. "Get out of here, Nick, and don't come back. I never want to see you again!"

She didn't see it, but she heard Nick stumble back in shock, "B-but, Judy…"

"GO NICK"

"B-but.." She spun back around, facing him once again. She opened her mouth to give him a real shouting fit, something that'll drive her words through his thick skull. She opened her mouth, and froze. Nick stood there looking as tired as Judy had ever seen him, his clothing was dirty, disheveled, and torn in some places. His eyes seemed to give off a haggard feeling as he looked Judy in the eye. He was holding something up for her to see, something small. A USB flash drive. She looked up into his eyes. "I have proof."

"Ohhhhh, Jackie!" said the unfamiliar voice. The voice was muffled, no doubt they were on the other side of a wall or door. The voice was clearly feminine and she seemed to be enjoying the company she was having. That company just so happened to be Judy's husband.

"Yeah, you like that?" came Jack's voice, just as muffled but just as clear. "You like it when I rock your pussy, Veronica? You like it when I rock you senseless?" Judy sat on the couch in silence, not looking at the laptop in front of Nick. After a few more minutes of hearing the adultery, Judy asked Nick to turn it off. She still sat there trying to process what she had just heard. She was trying to convince herself that the male voice in the recording wasn't her husband and she was starting to be successful.

"Judy, I know you're upset and I know you're angry with me and I can also tell you want to be left alone. So I'll just leave then." She didn't look at Nick as he stood up and made his way to the back door.

Was that someone else? Or was that really her husband? No. Not her husband anymore. To Judy, Jack was just… Jack now, nothing special about him. 'Wait,' she thought, 'Nick is leaving DO SOMETHING.' She tried desperately to think of some reason for him to stay, but could only come up with one question. "Nick?" she said softly. He had made it to the back door and had one paw on the other side of the doorway. She still didn't look at him, but she knew that he was now looking back at her.

"Yes?"

"Do you love me?"

Judy could've sworn she felt him flinch when he heard that. At first she thought he was either just gonna leave or say that he didn't. Nick stood there for a time, trying to find the words he wanted to say, until he finally shook his head and muttered, "No more running away," then he stepped back into the house. "Yes".

Judy finally turned around and looked at Nick, her mouth was hanging open slightly. "How?" she asked softly, walking around the couch and slowly making her way over to Nick. "H-how? How are you able to feel that way towards me after everything that's happened? You lost your job, your friends, even most of your family disowned you! All because of me!" She walked right up to him to the point to where their chests almost touched. "So I'll ask again," she said in a very low whisper, "How can you possibly love me?"

Nick looked down, away from Judy's face. When he spoke, his voice was so soft that even though Judy was this close to him she had to strain her ears to hear. "Do you stop loving your favorite show just because something bad happens?" Judy was more than confused by his statement and she took a step back. Before she could question, he moved on. "Do you stop loving your favorite food just because it gave you food poisoning?" Finally he looked at her, right in the eyes. Judy could see a mass of emotions pass over his face: anger, embarrassment, sorrow, anxiety, pain, but the more powerful emotions at the moment were made abundantly obvious to Judy. Determination, and love. When Nick spoke again his voice had risen just a tad and was filled with sorrow. "Do you stop loving someone just because… just because they… choose someone else? I don't think so."

Judys mouth was agape with shock at what he just said and she stuttered, "Nick I-I…" but he cut her off.

"Believe what you want, Carrots, but no matter what happens, no matter what you do, and no matter what people say," he took a step towards her so they were now chest to chest, "I will always love you. Judy." The two stood there for an extended moment until Nick sighed, "I'm sorry for bringing you this news and I've overstayed my welcome, I should go." He turned to leave.

'STOP HIM,' Judy's mind shouted at her. But…why? What was the point? She had cheated on Jack once, she wouldn't… if what Nick said is true then Jack was the one who cheated first, which means… Judy didn't cheat… she was just… making it even.

Six months. Jack has been having his little "work nights" for around six months now. And in all of that time, he hadn't laid a single hand on her, and Judy, being the loyal wife that she was, hadn't even looked at another man. And here Nick was, completely willing to love her and please her where others weren't. Judy thought back to all the months she had spent with Nick, all their talks, conversations and all the things that Nick had helped her get through. She didn't know when Nick had discovered these feelings for her, more than likely long before her marriage to Jack.

Nick had reached the door. Judy had to make a decision right now, otherwise she feared she'd never see Nick again. "What do I do? We can't have our regular talks at night anymore, not after this. Jack's been cheating on me this whole time? Would that make this any worse? Do I…?" Her mind trailed off at that question. This whole time she had asked herself if Nick loved her. The question that she now faced was whether she loved him. And just like that, like a snap, Judy made her decision. "Nick!" She said loudly rushing over towards him. Nick turned, surprise showing on his face as he regarded the quickly approaching Judy.

"Judy?"

When Judy reached him, she flew herself into his arms and he caught he,r shock now spreading across his face. Before he could say anything, Judy spoke in a rush of words and emotion. "Don't go, Nick, please don't go," she was trembling at this point, "I didn't mean what I said, Nick, please don't go."

Nick stood above her, completely shocked; he didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth to try and say something, but only half finished words came out.

"Besides," Judy said, pulling back a little and looking down in embarrassment. Her ears also flopping down to rest on her back, "I was unfair just now."

Words finally came back to Nick. "W-what do you mean?"

Judy's head was still down staring at his lower chest. "You told me your feelings, but…" Her trembling grew even more intense and Nick raised his hands to hold her. Comfortable and safe in his arms, Judy looked up. "But I have yet to tell you mine."

Nick gazed down at Judy, softly stroking her ears lovingly. "You don't have to say anything you don't want to, Judy."

Judy smiled, "Fine then, I guess I'll just show you." With that, she grabbed two handfuls of Nick's collar and pulled. This brought her face to face with him, his eyes had widened and he looked both terrified and excited. Judy leaned forward.

It was a soft kiss at first, but unlike last time, Judy didn't pull away. With him still holding Judy, Nick walked back into the house and closed the door behind him. Judy didn't pull away. In fact, as Nick neared the couch, she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. When they bumped into the couch, Judy finally pulled her face back and gasped for breath. She was breathing heavily and so was Nick. They stared at each other for an extended moment, wondering who'd make the first move.

Judy acted first. "Upstairs, big boy," she said in the best seductive voice she could muster.

Nick got a worried look on his face. "Are you sure, Judy? I mean…" he was cut off by another kiss. When they pulled away again, they were once again breathless.

When Judy was next able to speak, she said "I haven't been touched in around 6 months Nick, I'm tired of waiting," she indicated the stairs which were not far off, "Now move it, foxy."

Nick smiled as he began to make his way to the stairs. "Your wish is my command, Carrots."

That night, despite two years of near constant sex with Jack. Judy never felt the amount of pleasure she felt that one night.

ONE MONTH LATER

Judy's glum and nervousness nearly completely melted away when she received the text from Nick. Judy had to pull her phone close to her to hide what the message contained. She didn't even want to begin to imagine what would happen if someone caught her looking at messages from Nick. The message was, of course, another picture of Nick's dick.

Ever since that first night over a month ago where the two of them made love for the first time, Judy felt truly alive. Sure, she had felt this exact same way when she and Jack got together, but with Nick it felt more… real.

She was about to respond to his lewd message when the door near her opened. A beaver stepped out and looked at Judy. "Mrs. Savage?" He asked.

Judy stood and faced the beaver, "Yes?"

"Ms. Merriman will see you now"

Judy nodded as she followed the beaver and entered her boss's office. A few quick steps and she reached another door with the chairman of the ZPI name plaque across the door. She opened the door, Lucinda Merriman sat regally in her high backed chair. She was currently typing away at her keyboard, working on some project that Judy was more than likely not authorized to see. Merriman noticed Judy and nonchalantly turned her computer off. That done, she motioned for Judy to close the door and take a seat. Judy did so hurriedly, you did not keep Merriman waiting -she found that out by someone else's misfortune.

"You don't come in here often, Hopps; what'd ya do?" she said in a foreign accent.

It twisted her insides to say it after finding out what Jack's been doing, but she had to keep up appearances. "It's Mrs. Savage now ma'am."

The pig snorted a laugh and waved a dismissing hand. "Yea yea, I know, but you were Hopps before joining us and Hopps is easier to say quickly," she eyed Judy, "I thought I already explained that to you."

Judy blushes slightly. "I guess I forgot ma'am."

Merriman gave a short chuckle, "Ah, no worries, but in all seriousness, Hopps," Merriman leaned forward and clasped her hands together, "Why are you here? I'd say out of the two years you've been here, you've stepped foot into my office no more than four times."

Judy bit her lower lip. She needed to be careful about what she said. After her and Nick's first night as lovers, the first thing Judy wanted to do was divorce Jack. Though at that point, who wouldn't? But thanks to Nick's silver tongue, he managed to convince Judy to stay her hand until he found something more incriminating, that way she and Nick can actually gain something from the divorce. What Nick found wasn't anything he or Judy had expected.

As it turned out, Jack's mistress worked for a rival agency. Worst part yet is that Jack knows, Nick has snuck into Jack's mistress' house on multiple occasions to find some new information. One night, Nick had snuck in and overheard the two talking about the benefits of leaving Jack's current agency in favor of his mistress'. Just like after their first night together, the first thing Judy wanted to do was go to the higher ups and have them both captured, but once again, Nick convinced her to wait. He had said that it would be more satisfying to both of them if they could take Jack out on their own terms. He had to also confirm to Judy that when he had said "take out Jack" he did not mean kill him. So for the past month, they've been thinking up a plan to have Jack humiliated, along with him losing any credibility.

Judy looked over at her boss, took a deep breath and explained to her the plan.

PRESENT DAY

Nick smiled in satisfaction as he watched the secret service guys drag Jack away. They've already been informed that they captured his mistress, Veronica. He walked alongside the two secret service goofs, Judy had said to him over and over again that they were not the secret service but Nick didn't believe her. An organization that keeps itself hidden from the general public? And offers its services to others? That, in Nick's book, was the very definition of secret service.

He stopped just outside the warehouse to see the thing that brought him so much pain be put down. Not physically, obviously, but spirituality. As the two SC goofs put Jack into an armored truck, he glanced over to his living goddess. Just like the day he met her and on the day she had come back to him all those years ago, she was beautiful. Lovely grey fur that was soft to the touch, a perfect body with nice curves and sensual hips. Beautiful large amethyst eyes that can manipulate any man or woman into doing whatever she wanted of them.

Nick stared at her for a long moment, she was currently talking to one of her superiors at the moment explaining exactly what happened. Sadly her back was to him so she wouldn't be able to notice him. But her boss, a rather tall pig who seemed to take everything as a joke, did notice him. The pig cut her off and gestured towards Nick. They said a few more words until the pig gave off a roar of a laugh and walked away.

Nick's smile broadened as she approached. As she did, an elephant passed Nick, close enough to be in arm's reach. Nick casually reached out and plucked the jar of peanuts that the elephant carried at his belt. He swiped the jar with a deft hand, a hand experienced at picking pockets. As the elephant walked away, completely unaware of what just happened, Nick turned back around to face the oncoming Judy, who -he might add- had a bemused smile on her lips.

When she reached him, he already had the jar opened and was chewing on a few. "Want some nuts, Carrots?" he asked. His words were a little muffled due to the food in his mouth.

Judy cringed, "Nick what have I told you, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full! it's disgusting and rude!" she said giving him a scowl.

Nick shrugged, still chewing. His goddess she may be, but Nick wasn't gonna wait on anyone to pass down a good ol snack. He finally gulped down the peanuts. "Sorry about that," he said giving her a sarcastic smile.

Judy looked at him and sighed, now looking down. "What am I gonna do with you, Nick?"

"Oh I dunno," Nick said, grabbing another handful of nuts, "You could maybe let me join your secret club."

Judy looked back up, an annoyed look on her face. "It's not a 'club', Nick."

"Ahhh, sure it is! You see, club is the same as organization right? It's just that the word organization is the more fanciful way of saying it," Nick said with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Judy couldn't help but smile at his silliness, but then got a questioning look on her face. "Are you serious about this, Nick? Do you really want to join?"

Nick shrugged again, "Don't have any reason not to. All I can see are positives in joining your little club."

"It's not…" She trailed off, noticing his grin again. She gave him a scowl as she continued, "They've got to be pretty big positives to outweigh the idea of getting shot at and possibly dying."

"Yeah. It is."

Judy frowned, "Wait, 'It'? As in… you only have one reason to join?"

"Yeah," he said softly, "It'll let me spend more time with you."

"Awww, Nick, that's so sweet!" she said, clutching her chest with her hands. "Well I guess I could talk to my boss and see what I can do."

"Good to hear," Nick said as he reached out and pulled Judy in for a very loving hug.

ONE YEAR LATER

DING

A car revving up its engine.

DING

A silent crowd eagerly anticipating what is to come.

DING

Fur against fur.

DING

Two figures before a podium.

DING

A priest standing before the two.

DING

The priest looked at the two and, despite his opinion on this relationship, said the words. "By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," The priest looked down upon the fox and bunny standing before him. "You may now kiss the bride." Without a moment's hesitation, the fox swept the bunny off her feet and landed a deep kiss on her lips.

When the fox pulled back, he gazed into his wife's eyes and asked, "Are you ready?" In response, the bunny nodded. With that, the two made their way out of the church and onto their new life.

 **AUTHORS NOTE** : First of all IM SORRY FOR THE UNGODLY LONG DELAY I actually had the draft done a month after posting chapter 2 my excuse for the delay is the fukin four god damn editors this thing went through kudo it comment on it please I've had writers block ever since finishing this and I'm hoping this will help thank you all for reading this and for those coming back and who've been waiting all this time I love each and every single on of you ❤️


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